Health Care Centre, Haarlem

With a master plan and a concept of MOPET architects a consortium has won the tender of plots in one of Haarlem’s city parks.

Haarlem is the capital of the Dutch province North-Holland. The ‘Prinsen Bolwerk’ was part of the city’s former fortification system. Around 1821 it was transformed into a sloping Romantic park by Dutch well-known architect JD Zocher jr. The layout of the plots provides a mixture of semi-public functions (care) combined with residents. A restored neoclassical villa will house 14 to 20 apartments for seniors. On the other two a healthcare centre and a villa will be built.

The design of MOPET architecten aims for limited development to preserve the great views in this historical area. The strength of the ensemble lies in mutual adjustment, without committing falsification of history. The white monumental building dating from the late 19th century is a fine example of neo-Renaissance architecture. Conform Zochers' vision it fits as a firm, symmetrical volume in the meandering park. On the contrary, the new anthroposophical healthcare centre and the private villa will adapt to the organic fortress landscape and will be evident contemporary. By extending existing slopes on the plots, the ground floor space will be as if it were ‘in the earth’ and thus create privacy. Furthermore both the healthcare centre and the villa will appear to be much smaller. This way the old and the new buildings strengthen one another and will continue telling the story to the present day.